The present invention relates to snow removal equipment. In particular, the present invention relates to snowplows for moving snow away from a paved surface, such as a roadway, parking lot, walkway, or driveway.
Snow removal is serious business. When snow falls and accumulates, people rely on diligent snow removal technicians to quickly remove the snow from the roads, walkways, driveways, and parking lots that connect everyone to their schools, places of business, local grocery stores, etc. Only a few inches of fresh snow can shut down an entire city, costing businesses untold amounts of money.
The tool of choice for moving large amounts of snow has been the ubiquitous snowplow. Typically, a snowplow is a metal member curved inwardly to define a concave plow face for directing snow away from a surface. The snow plow is usually attached to the front of a truck or other multi-purpose vehicle. The truck pushes the snowplow along the surface to be cleared of snow. As the snowplow advances, snow is directed toward one or both sides of the snowplow. This action creates windrows (heaps of snow) on one or both sides of the plow. Thus it is usually necessary to make a second pass along the same surface to clear the remaining windrows from the surface.
In many instances removing the heaped snow to another area is necessary. Simply pushing the snow off to the side with a conventional snowplow may not do an adequate job of clearing snow in some circumstances. Examples of such circumstances include narrow streets without generous shoulders on which to pile the snow, or parking lots where space is at a premium. A second snow removal tool, such as a shovel or bucket must be used to pick the snow up and take it away from the area to be cleared. In the past, carrying snow away required using a second truck having a separate shovel tool, or exchanging the snowplow for a shovel to complete the snow removal.
The present invention is a combination snowplow and bucket for attachment to a vehicle for the purposes of collecting, transporting and dumping snow. The snowplow bucket of the present invention has a curved plow member with a top edge and a bottom edge, and which defines a concave plow face. The concave plow face has a center portion and first and second side portions extending laterally from the center portion. Each side portion is aligned at an obtuse angle relative to the center portion. The snowplow bucket of the present invention also has a generally planar bottom plate affixed to the plow member. The bottom plate has a rear edge and a forward edge. The bottom plate is affixed to the curved plow member adjacent the rear edge of the bottom plate, and the forward edge of the bottom plate defines a scraper edge that is generally vertically aligned under the top edge of the center portion of the plow member. The center portion, first and second side portions and the bottom plate collectively define a bucket used to transport the snow.
The present invention can both push snow away from a surface and carry snow away from the plowed surface. The combination snowplow and bucket includes a concave plow member having inwardly bent side portions. The bent side portions are angled inwardly toward the center of the plow member. A generally semicircular or trapezoidal bottom plate is attached to the plow member. A curved inner surface of the plow member with the bent side portions and the attached bottom plate define a bucket in which snow may be collected and carried. Besides defining part of a snow-carrying bucket, the inwardly bent ends of the plow member inhibit snow from spilling out on either or both sides of the plow as it is urged forward, thereby reducing windrows.
The present invention thus provides the advantage of a tool that can both clear snow and carry snow away from the surface to be cleared. The present invention provides a snowplow and bucket which would increase snow removal efficiency by eliminating the need to use more than one tool or vehicle to remove snow. The present invention is a snow removal tool that reduces the amount of snow that spills out from the tool creating windrows adjacent the cleared surface. The present invention also provides a snow removal tool that can be pushed forwardly into contact with a wall or other support structure and can then lift the snow adjacent to the wall or support structure in the bucket without spilling the snow.